25 Feb 2013

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard "Eyes Like The Sky" Review


Reviewed By Nathan Ford

You may have come across these lads before on the recent "Nuggets: Antipodean Interpolations Of The First Psychedelic Era" collection (reviewed here), but I should point out that listening experience will in no way prepare you for the contents of this one of a kind and thoroughly engrossing LP (also available on CD and download, if you must).
Eschewing conventional song structure almost entirely, "Eyes Like The Sky" is a gritty western narrative with story and narration by Dingoes’ vocalist Broderick Smith.
It's as delightful as it is unexpected, combining the grizzled narrative of Johnny Cash's early sixties western work (Ride This Train, Bitter Tears etc.) filtered through his later fire & brimstone offerings, with all the staples of the best spaghetti western soundtracks - dusty guitar twangs, harmonica that sounds like the most lonesome train whistle you can imagine and tribal native american percussion, all passed through a gritty Nuggetty garage filter.
If a young Ennio Morricone was to score a Tarantino or John Hillcoat western today one would hope that the results would sound a lot like this.
Combining this epic cinematic sweep with a down and dirty garage aesthetic is an inspired and totally successful idea which lends an extra layer of grime and reality to proceedings in the same fashion that recent western films like the Coen Brother's remake of "True Grit" have.
So if you've ever found yourself pondering in an idle moment what "The Good, the Bad & the Ugly" would sound like performed by the Black Keys then you probably owe it to yourself to hear this now. And if that thought's never crossed your mind, I'd wager your curiosity is till going to get the better of you.
Now where do we sign a petition to make this into a feature film?

Stream below or click here to buy on vinyl, CD or download.


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